


Drabbles in the DC Universe

by Ehliena



Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin (Comics)
Genre: Bat Family, Drabble, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-20
Updated: 2015-03-28
Packaged: 2018-03-08 09:33:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 6,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3204425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ehliena/pseuds/Ehliena
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a few drabbles that pop into my mind regarding characters from the DC Universe. These will mostly revolve around the Bat Family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wayne Family Portrait

Dick has never been overly fond of the formality that came with being a Wayne. Even now, more than a decade after his adoption, he still didn't like the stiff ties and the fake smiles. At Wayne Manor, he could be laid back, be himself. Which was why, as they were posing for the family portrait, Dick decided to stir things up a little. Formalities were for the outside world to see. This was a family moment to be captured on film, figuratively speaking, for posterity. He'd be darned if he'd end up looking like one of those stiff pictures hanging in some wing of the Manor.

Right before the camera went off, Dick looped his hand into Jason's arm, making Jason glare at him instead of posing for the shot. Dick knew that he'd probably have to face a ticked off Jason afterwards, but it would be worth it to get rid of that stiff uneasy posture that the younger man was holding.  
  
Damian heard the commotion and felt Dick place a hand on his shoulder, but the boy did not acknowledge it. Damian was proud for showing that level of self-restraint. After all, he could cut the offending appendage off _after_  the picture was taken.  
  
Bruce and Tim knew something was going on and that Dick was behind it. You didn't need to be the World's Greatest Detective, teen or otherwise, to know that. They reacted to it as they normally would, Tim smiled it off, while Bruce squinted, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stave off yet another headache that his sons are causing.

Thank goodness for Alfred and his tea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by [Bruce and his sons ](http://baveyoon.deviantart.com/art/Bruce-and-his-sons-366500937) by baveyoon at Deviantart.
> 
> Feel free to comment. This is the first time I've written anything in such a long time, mistakes are bound to be made.


	2. Cereal in the Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick loves cereal. Tim needs coffee. Sometimes mixing things up is a good thing. Most of the time, it could lead to trouble.

Tim was working on the computer in the cave early one morning when someone placed a cup of coffee right beside the console.

"Drink up Timmers," Dick said. "You've been at this all night. You need to sleep or at least drink some joe."

"I just need to finish this report," Tim protested, his eyes never leaving the screen, but his typing speed did slow down a bit. "I'm almost finished. Thanks for the coffee."

"No problem Tim. Just get some rest okay?"

With that Dick turned to head up to the Manor. Before he could even make it to the stairs, he heard Tim coughing and whacking his chest.

"Tim?" Dick raced to his brother and started to thump his back. "You okay? What happened?" he asked as soon as the coughing fit subsided.

"There's cereal in my coffee," Tim said weakly glaring at the cup as if it was offending him somehow.

"Yes?"

"There is cereal. In my coffee."

Apparently, the coughing broke Tim. He was repeating himself.

"Dick? Why is there cereal in my coffee?" Tim asked, toning down his glare into a more questioning look rather than the burning hatred he seemed to have for the cup.

"Oh, did you choke on a piece?" Dick asked. Tim was obviously so tired that he forgot to chew or look at the contents of the mug before swallowing.

"Dick. Why. Is. There. Cereal. In. My. Coffee." 

"You and B don't really eat much, so I decided to help you out and put cereal in your coffee. Two-in-one, you know?"

Tim just intensified his glare. "So you mean to say, you gave me and Bruce coffee with cereal in it to get us to eat more?"

"Not exactly."

"Define exactly."

Tim was definitely channeling his inner Bruce. There was no way that the teen would be so dark otherwise. That of he was just mourning the waste of a perfectly good cup of coffee. In any case, Dick knew there was no escaping answering Tim's question, so he just answered it as lainly as he could.

"I tried it out on you first."

Tim processed that information, his glare losing a bit of it's Bruce-ness. Then when he realized the implication, darn his thought processes were slower than usual, he might need to sleep or coffee, he reacted as any teenager would.

"You mean you made me a guinea pig?" He asked his voice louder than usual. Which was definitely due to the stress he put on his body, he rationalized to himself, otherwise, he would be cool and collected, and his question would sound dangerous rather than the teenage outburst that it came out as.

"No!" Dick vehemently denied. "Of course I wouldn't use you as a guinea pig Timmers!"

"Did Damian put you up to this?" Tim asked after deciding for a moment if Dick was lying to him. He was pleased that his voice was under control. He wouldn't put it past the Demon Brat to try and kill him, manipulating Dick in order to do so.

"Damian?" Dick clarified. "No, no of course not. Damian doesn't know about this."

Before Tim could think of another question, a voice rang out from the stairs leading to the manor.

"What doesn't Damian know about?"

The two turned their heads to see Bruce standing there with an eyebrow raised. They were both at a loss for words for a moment. Tim was wondering how on earth to explain to the Batman that he almost died, not at the hands of a psychopath, but by cereal (of all things) going down the wrong tube. Dick was more concerned about Bruce being awake at this hour, which meant that either the man didn't get enough sleep or that he didn't sleep at all, neither were good for Bruce's health.

"Dick almost killed me with cereal," Tim blurted out, deciding that in this instance the best approach to take was the direct one. "He put it in my coffee."

"Hn."

Ah the non-commital trademark Batman "hn." Dick was either in trouble or Bruce was laughing on the inside.

"Grayson tried to kill you?" Damian clarified, stepping out from behind Bruce's back. "And using coffee too. I would commend you on your creativity Grayson, but it seems you have failed to eliminate Drake. Nonetheless, I would never have expected you to try."

"It was an accident Damian," Dick explained. "I wasn't trying to kill Tim. He just didn't expect there to be cereal in his coffee."

"Then you are both inept," Damian concluded. "You at trying to assasinate Drake, and Drake at being assasinated."

"Hey!" Tim protested. One of these days he was going to straight up murder the Spawn.

"Enough," Bruce said quietly butwith full authority. "Tim go upstairs and have some breakfast before you get some sleep. Alfred has bacon and eggs ready. And coffee. I'm pretty sure it has no cereal in it." The last sentence was added as an afterthought.

"But B! I'm not done with my report."

"It can wait. Go now."

"Hah, even Father--" Damian started but he was cut off.

"You too Damian," Bruce as he put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You haven't had breakfast either. Go with Tim. And no batarangs at the table." He pulled one out from where Damian was keeping it. "I expect you to leave the other five on my desk."

"Well done, Father," Damian looked annoyed, but left with Tim anyway, leaving Dick and Bruce alone in the Cave. 

"Look B, I was--"

"Cereal in his coffee? Really Dick?"

"In my defense," Dick replied, a bit sheepishly. "I thought it tasted fine."

"You would," Bruce told him, smirking just a bit. "Come on, let's head up to breakfast. Alfred makes sure we're all fed _proper_ food."

Dick grinned and headed up with Bruce. As much as he loved cereal, nothing beat starting the day with one of Alfred's meals. As long as it wasn't waffles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was being lazy one morning so I decided to pour cereal into my coffee so I wouldn't have another dish to wash. It tasted fine, but with bigger and harder bits of cereal, it could lodge in your throat and cause you to choke.


	3. First Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first thing the Batfamily does after the events of Robin Rises.

**Bruce**

The first thing Bruce does, after hugging Damian, having the celebratory post-battle snack with his family care of Alfred, and tucking Damian into bed with Titus standing guard. The first thing he does when all the pressing matters are attended to, is head back down into the cave and access Damian’s file to change his status from ‘deceased’ to ‘alive.’

The damage that the fight caused could be cleaned, the batmobile that was destroyed could be replaced, everything could be put to rights in the morning or in the following days, but changing Robin’s status could not, should not wait. Bruce accessed Damian’s file and found that someone had already changed it.

He chuckled to himself.

Of course.

The man does love to take care of the family.

**Jason**

The first thing Jason does after all that celebrating, is try to sneak out silently. Sure he had a hand in getting the kid back to life and he did swear a truce with everyone else, but that didn’t mean that he wanted to stay and celebrate with them. He had to leave.

Get the Demon Spawn back (and preferably alive)?

Check.

Eat celebratory food made by Alfred?

Check.

Stay the night?

No thanks.

Besides, he had things to do. He was the Red Hood, there was always more things to do.

Alfred didn’t seem to get the memo, because Jason was ushered to his old room, with Alfred insisting on feeding him his favourite breakfast in the morning.

Jason knew he learned bribery from someone, and it sure as hell wasn’t Bruce. He also knew that when Alfred insisted on something, nobody should ever go against it. So he stays the night and has breakfast with the family in the morning.

**Tim**

Tim has a room in the Manor. Not that he uses it much anymore, he’s always with the Titans these days, but it’s always good to know that he has a place here. He has to pass by Damian’s room to get to his. The kid is awake, despite having Bruce put him to bed a few minutes before.

“Damian.”

“Drake.”

Tim entered the room and approached Damian. The kid was hovering off the floor, obviously exhilarated by the fact that he could fly. He might have been a well-trained assasin who could lie in wait for hours and kill at the drop of a hat, but hey, Damian was still a kid. And flying was awesome, even Tim had to admit that.

“How was Father when I was… away?”

“Almost as bad as he was when Jason died,” Tim replied. “Worse I think. Back then he just closed in on himself. When you died, Bruce turned on everyone. Even us.”

“Hn.”

“I’m glad you’re back Damian,” Tim continued. “You were missed.”

“Tt, of course I was.”

“You should get some sleep,” Tim suggested, in this household, telling someone to get sleep was always a suggestion, one that was almost never heeded. “We’ve all had a rough day.”

Tim ruffled Damian’s hair and left the room before Damian could ask any questions that Tim couldn’t answer.

**Barbara**

As soon as she got home, Barbara called her father.

"Hey Dad," she greeted as soon as he picked up, her happiness evident in her voice.

"Babs?" The commissioner asked, "What time is it? What's wrong honey?"

"Nothing's wrong Dad," she replied. "I just wanted to hear your voice, is all."

"It's nice to hear from you too sweetie," he said, "At any time of the day. Even when it's almost dawn."

"Whoops sorry," Barbara apologized. "I guess I should let you sleep. Night Dad. Love you."

"Good night Barbara. I love you too."

Barbara smiled as she heard the click indicating that he ended the call. As much as she was a part of Bruce's family, she had her own. And while her relationship with her brother and her mother weren't as good as they could be, she knew that she could always depend on her father.

He might not fully understand all her quirks, but he loved them anyway.

**Alfred**

In the middle of celebrating, Alfred quietly slipped back down to the cave. He sighed, surveying the mess that the fight with Kalibak caused. True, he could blame Master Damian for some of the wreck, but the boy only just came back to life, there was no reason to scold him for the damage done in the cave when Master Bruce was bound to ground the boy for going out against his orders.

Alfred had only one job left to do in the cave tonight, all the cleaning up could wait until the morning. Accessing the database of Batman Inc. Alfred was pleased as he changed Robin’s status from ‘deceased’ to ‘alive.’

He left the cave to re-join the party, giving the cave one last look before he closed the door behind him. Perhaps, as punishment, he could get Master Damian to help clean up the mess. His super strength would be put to use under the guise of ‘chores’ or ‘training’ or some such rot. Alfred decided to let Bruce figure out how to present it.

**Damian**

As soon as Drake left him alone, Damian reached for his phone and called Grayson’s number again. At least, it was the number that Damian last knew Grayson was using, in their line of work though, numbers change often.

Damian resisted the urge to break his phone when he only got a recorded message telling him the number is not in use. It would have been easy to fly out to Grayson’s apartment, be it the one in Chicago or the one in the city. And if Damian couldn’t find him there, he could always start searching Grayson’s safe houses. If Grayson were off-planet though, Damian would be wasting his time.

Everyone was there to welcome him back, everyone except Grayson. Maybe that should tell him something.

**Dick**

Dick was resting when his comm buzzed with a message from an unknown number.

“Robin Rises” was all it said. Enough to put a smile on the agent’s face and start typing out a message to Damian.

Then he stopped. He couldn’t compromise anything. No one but Bruce knew he was still alive. As much as he could trust Damian, as much as he wanted to reach out to the kid, reassure him and all that, he couldn’t.

His smile turned bitter. His baby brother was alive, and he couldn’t even send a simple message, let alone hug the kid. And he can’t even sneak into the manor and hug Damian while he slept. The brat was that well-trained. Dick couldn’t do anything. Not now at least, but someday, he will.

Sometimes, he just really hated Bruce and his missions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not my best writing, but I couldn't help writing this. I'm just so glad that Damian is back! 
> 
> Bab's part is a bit skewed and unrelated, but I was thinking that since Commissioner Gordon was the one who told Barbara that Robin died, it seemed like a nice symmetry to have her call him when Damian came back. Sure, she couldn't tell him that Robin was alive, but at least she could spread the happiness right?
> 
> And I'm not sure if Bruce is the only one who knows where Dick is, but since Dick hid from everyone else in Batman and Robin 34 and thhe last issue of Nightwing had Dick complaining that he couldn't "stay dead" because he can't do that to Jason, Babs, and Tim... yeah, I just rolled with it.


	4. Not Fair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's another Batman Movie coming out. Tim isn't impressed by who's in it.

"So there's this new Batman movie coming out," Tim casually said as he entered the room. "Everyone's in it but me."

"Tt," Damian replied, not even taking his eyes off of his phone, "That's expected Drake."

"Everyone's in it?" Dick clarified, "Even Jason?"

"No, not Jason," Tim admitted, "But you two are."

"It's expected," Damian pointed out. "Grayson is the hot one who brings in all the fan girls. I am the one who can appeal to the younger demographic because I am a child who can kick all of your butts. We bring in more audiences than you or Todd do. It's all about business. You should know that Drake, you _are_ slated to take over part of Father's company."

"I still don't understand why I'm never in any of the movies!" Tim complained, mostly to Dick since he seemed more sympathetic than Damian. Then again, Damian was ignoring him. "I mean, you're in most of them."

"Hey, I might be in most of them, but I only play bit roles."

"And you were also in those series," Tim pointed out, completely ignoring Dick's protest.

"You were in them too!"

"Only for a short time," Tim said. "And whenever anyone says 'Robin' you're the one people think of!"

"They link me with the scaly panties," Dick groused. "It's not really something to be proud of."

Tim glared at him. Damian just kept on playing on his phone, not really minding the older boys since he didn't see the need to join in such a frivolous argument. Drake's insecurities probably stemmed from his portrayal in that one movie as him becoming Joker's pseudo-son anyway.

"At least Jason isn't here--"

"You called, pretender?" Jason asked as he casually strolled into the room.

"Jason!" Tim said, his brow furrowing. "How on earth are you here? Last I heard, you were half-way around the world."

"Well, you guys said my name three times." Jason said.

"What?"

"Nothing," Jason said quickly. "So, what's this about a new movie? Am I in it?"

"No, but those two are," Tim jerked his thumb at the two in particular. "Again."

"Don't sweat it pretender," Jason ruffled Tim's hair, "You should be used to being forgotten in mass media. I mean, at least you were in some of the animated series, I wasn't."

"You had a cameo in that last series, Todd." Damian informed him.

"A cameo as a dead member of Dick-face's team," Jason complained. "Which only served to explain why Timmers here got stuck in a lousy squad."

"True," Damian agreed, "Which is why Drake should not complain that he isn't in any of the movies since he was in the series, and Grayson has no reason to complain at all since he was in almost all the media portrayals of Batman. It's my turn to shine, but ultimately, we all know that Grayson will star in most, if not all, of the incarnations of Batman as Robin. He was the first, after all."

The older Robins stared at Damian. For such a self-involved brat, he knew his stuff, and what's more, he expected it.

"Damian!" Dick exclaimed as he tackled the boy and hugged him for all he was worth, which was, admittedly, a lot, "When did you get so smart?"

Tim and Jason inched their way out of the room, knowing full well that if they stayed, Dick would turn his attention to them and they would never get to leave. Damian glared at their cowardice as he tried to break free from Dick's grasp. Then again, this was probably the least he could do for them, seeing as how they weren't included in the movie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next movie is based on the Court of Owls story arc, so I think it should include the whole batfamily, especially if they're leading up to the Death of the Family arc. I mean, it wouldn't really be Death of the Family if it's just Bruce, Dick, and Damian (and Alfred).


	5. Not Fair: Batgirls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Batgirls, well Stephanie, talks about the new Batman movie.

 

It was early one night, when the Batgirls talked about the upcoming animated Batman movie. Technically, Stephanie just invaded Barbara's room and dragged Cass along with her.

Steph: I can't believe they're making another Batman movie with Dick and Damian in it.

Cass: ...

Steph: Don't you think it's unfair? The boys get everything.

Cass: Barabara was in a movie and some of the series. You had a cameo in the last series.

Steph: Yeah, but that's different! I mean, there was a girl Robin in another movie! And she wasn't even part of Earth Prime!

Cass: We're not part of Earth Prime anymore.

Steph: That's not the point!

Cass: ?

Stephanie sighed. Cass may not have been the best with words, but she sure could express herself without them.

Steph: I... it's just not fair! Tell her Barbara!

The two girls stared at Barbara, who completely ignored them. In fact, Barbara didn't even seem to have heard them, at all. Her computer was occupying her whole attention. Strange for Barbara, who was usually the person everyone went to talk to, to disregard them.

Steph: Oh yeah, we don't exist.

Cass: We will.

Steph smiled at her friend's reassurance. She knew that Cass was right, there was no way that they wouldn't exist forever. Stephanie held her smile as they disappeared, never really being there in the first place.

Barbara looked up from the screen and smiled. She might not have heard or known the two girls had been there. She wouldn't even know them now. But somehow, the air around her made her feel great. She shut down her computer and stretched.

It was time to suit up and be Batgirl again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Spoiler is back in the New 52, but just pretend she isn't yet, okay?


	6. Carnival Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brothers always compete.

It was an unspoken rule in the Wayne Household that the boys were never to compete against each other whenever they went to a carnival. It was already a given that they could clean out the prizes on any game. They were Robins, all of them trained to be good in various combat skills, skills that could be adapted to any situation. Winning a prize for knocking down bottles was something they could do blindfolded. They were all highly competitive; none of them liked the bitter taste of defeat. It was good for training, so they could strive to better themselves, but trying to outdo each other, _that_ was the problem.

Damian denied that he was competing with the others. He was just showing how much superior he was compared to his predecessors.  The games at carnivals were beneath him, so it only made sense to Damian that he should excel at them.

Tim was a perfectionist. Anything he did, he did well. The games at the carnivals that Dick dragged them to were no exception. He was a natural at them and he had no problem showing his skills.

Dick knew carnival games. He loved playing them growing up, so he figured that his brothers would enjoy them too. He had no idea that it would lead to another competition between them. Tim was talented and Damian was a quick-study. Playing against them (even though Bruce had that no competition rule), was a great non-vigilante bonding experience.

Jason _hated_ carnival games. It didn’t matter that he could have escaped his “brothers”, the Demon Spawn thought that it was a competition, and Jason Todd did not back down. Especially not from a pretentious ten year-old who didn’t know how to have fun without some form of violence or another involved.

Jason knew that he was at a disadvantage when it came to these things. The Brat was driven, he could never stand losing, especially not to any of them. That made him a formidable opponent in anything. Tim was special, and he meant that in a good way. But that also meant that the games were so easy for him. Dickface, well, Dickface knew the ropes from growing up in the circus. It was an unfair advantage that he had over them all.

So whenever they did go to one of these things, Jason did the one thing that he knew he could do better than the others in order to win. He cheated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not my best, but if I don't write, I might lose the drive to do so.


	7. Fair Enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys talk about the other Batman Animated movie that's coming out. Tim is... ambivalent.

"Hey Pretender!" Jason said as he walked into the room. "You're in a Batman Movie."

"Oh no," Tim worried. "I'm not another brainwashed Joker am I?"

"Well--” Jason tried to say but was cut off.

"Nah," Dick said, walking in behind Jason. "We're both in this one baby bird."

"Of course you'd be in it," Jason said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dick asked.

“What do you think?” Jason asked. “Batman can always trust Nightwing, so of course you’d be there. Not that he really trusts any of us.”

“Jason…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Jason said, dismissing the topic. “We should just be happy for baby bird over here, huh?”

“I’m an extra along with Flash and Green Arrow,” Tim complained. “It’s not like it’s a big deal.”

Tim just shrugged. It didn’t really bother him that he was in the movie with other people. Just like it never really bothered him that Bruce trained him harder than Dick or Jason. He just accepted things like this. But still, it would have been good to be the only support that B had. In a sense he was glad that he was part of the movie, and yet he was disappointed because of his role.

“Don’t mope Drake,” Damian said, striding into the room. “You should be glad that you’re in this one.”

“Damian,” Tim acknowledged the boy. “You aren’t mad that I’m in it but you aren’t?”

“Of course not,” Damian said. “We all deserve our time to shine, and yours was obviously way past due.”

“Damian?”

“Because everyone knows by now that the first Robin became Nightwing, there was a second Robin who became Red Hood, and that I’m the current Robin. You should be glad for your part, even if it is just a bit role, because this movie will erase your legacy as the Robin who Joker corrupted.”

None of them could really pinpoint when Damian became the voice of reason. All the former Robins looked at the boy in awe. Dick was just about to tackle and hug him when Damian smirked.

“And obviously I want no part in this movie,” he said as his smirk widened. “After all, you’re still in your Doctor Midnight knock-off costume while Nightwing is in his new red one, I wouldn’t want to be caught dead in one of those. And the plot, the graphics, and the animation of the movie seem a bit too geared towards a younger demographic. Have fun with that Drake.”

With that Damian left the room, leaving the three older boys to wonder if Damian was trained by Ra’s in the art of being condescending or if that was something that came naturally to those of the Al Ghul line.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I just saw the Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts trailer and I squealed when I saw that Red Robin was in it! All of Bruce's boys definitely need more screen time, and Tim is the one with the least amount of movie time in recent years.


	8. Alfred Provides

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred always takes care of his boys.

Alfred would never let his boys starve, any of his boys. And indeed all the boys who have resided in the halls of Wayne Manor, he considered his boys, even those who were old enough to be considered men.

Given this fact, it wasn’t surprising that Alfred spent time checking and re-stocking his boy’s safe houses. Not so regularly as to arouse suspicion, and definitely not as himself. Alfred was a master of disguises, and he enjoyed portraying other characters, it wouldn’t do well to let his acting skills rust after all.

Dick didn’t really like it when Alfred restocked his cupboards. The young man’s idea of a balanced diet included take away and cereal, so Alfred wasn’t really surprized that Dick protested whenever Alfred came over and brought groceries. But the boy, for they were all boys to Alfred, was grateful enough when the butler showed the numerous boxes of cereal, and cartons of milk, that was included in the bag of groceries. And of course Dick never complained about the meals Alfred made that he only needed to reheat.

Jason hated it when Alfred has been through any of his safe houses. It usually meant that _Bruce_ had access to his place at any time. What Jason didn’t know was that Alfred, whose security clearance was above and beyond even Bruce’s, kept tabs on all his boys and did not necessarily inform Bruce. They boys just assumed that Bruce knew everything because Bruce was Batman. In any case, Jason was appreciative enough of Alfred’s efforts, especially since it meant that he had food that wasn’t past its expiration date or bandages whenever he needed them.

Tim was glad that Alfred restocked his food and his medical supplies. But he was even gladder for Alfred’s constant supply of coffee beans. Tim worried that when he left Manor, he would have to make do with, and he shuddered at the thought, _instant_ coffee. No one in the Titans seemed to be a coffee enthusiast except for him, so it came as a surprise when he opened his pantry that there was a can of the coffee that he preferred and a coffee maker with a timer so he could have his coffee as soon as he woke up. That the rest of the team didn’t even know who brings in the groceries is a testament to Alfred’s proficiency in sneaking around. Alfred really was a miracle worker.

Damian was a tricky one. Although he was living under Alfred’s watchful eye, it didn’t necessarily mean that he was eating properly. In fact, when the boy first came to live with them, he maintained a diet like his father’s, that is to say not really eating and subsisting of a mixture of power juices and coffee, which is not at all a healthy meal for a 10 year-old. Oh sure, Alfred was glad that the Young Master Wayne wasn’t into junk food or cereal, but the boy needed proper nutrition, all his boys do.

Which was why Alfred talked to Bruce about setting a good example for all the boys. Alfred’s oldest charge was by far his most difficult one. Sure the man was _The_ Batman, but he could also burn water (on a stove, Bruce’s survival skills and his ability to feed/sustain himself in the wild is never questioned.) Bruce also had an aversion to a sit-down meal (one that had no purpose for business or the other business) which was definitely not conducive to family bonding moments and setting a good example.

Bruce would have protested, but Alfred _insisted._ And there might have been bribery and blackmail involved, not that Alfred would ever admit to anything.

Thus the bi-monthly family dinners were established. Which was why Jason made sure to be in some other part of the world(or universe/multiverse) whenever the dinners were scheduled to occur.


	9. Imposter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian plays Injustice on his phone.

">tt<" Damian said as he quickly swiped his fingers on his tablet's screen. "Die Imposter, die!"

"Little D?" Dick asked, puzzled since, as far as he knew, there were no Robins in the game at Damian was currently playing.

"Not now Grayson," Damian said through clenched teeth. "I'm busy."

Dick watched over Damian's shoulder as he waited for the explanation. As soon as "VICTORY" flashed on the screen, Damian put down his tablet and sighed.

"This game has a character of me," he explained. "See this version of Nightwing?"

Dick looked and it was a long-haired Nightwing with a scowl on his face.

"This is supposed to be me," Damian said, clearly unimpressed and a bit offended.

"You?" Dick asked, obviously confused. "The backstory says that you were a mentor of mine and you died while we were containing a break out at Arkham." Damian pursed his lips. Dick wasn't sure if it was distaste for Dick's role as a mentor or for the way he died.

 

"And it was my fault," Damian added grudgingly.

"Little D?" Dick said, concerned. Like all of Bruce's children, or maybe even more than the rest of them, except for Tim, Damian tended not to like admitting to faults and failures.

"I just don't understand why anyone would believe that I would grieve you enough to honor you that way," Damian said dismissively, loading another battle.

"Hey," Dick said, putting a hand on Damian's shoulder. "Don't deny that you would miss me."

">tt<" Damian scoffed. "It's not that you wouldn't be missed by the family. It's that I would be nostalgic enough to use escrima sticks."

"Nightwing always uses escrima sticks."

">tt< Not when Todd was Nightwing--"

"He was an imposter!"

"Todd used guns," Damian continued,ignoring Dick's argument as he gearied up for his battle. "If I ever become Nightwing, I'll use twin swords."

"Nightwing doesn't use swords!" Dick's protest fell on deaf ears as Damian became engrossed in his battle. Dick waited for Damian to finish, impressed that the boy took less than a minute to defeat his opponent's team.

"Don't worry Grayson," Damian assured him as he loaded another battle. "I have no wish to become Nightwing. My ultimate goal will always be to become Batman. Only once Father retires, of cousrse."

"Gee, thanks little D," Dick said sarcastically. He was about to say something else but Damian cut him off.

"I'm glad you understand," Damian said turining his attention to his tablet once more. "Now go away, I must vanquish this foe."

Dick sighed, for such a serious kid, Dick was surprised that Damian took his game so seriously. Who was he kidding? Damian took everything seriously. He smiled to himself. At least Damian was doing something "age-appropriate" for once.

"Die alien!"

Or at least it was age-appropriate if you didn't think about the fact that the characters of his game are based on people they actually knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have some shameless self-promotion, I wrote a one-shot or what's currently a one-shot, entitled [ Getting His Letter](http://www.archiveofourown.org/works/3229421) Please check it out?


	10. Headaches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian and Jason destroyed a safe house. Jason wants compensation. Follows after Damian's declaration in War of the Robins.

It was late, but not late enough that Batman had to turn in, and Bruce was working at the Batcave's console when he received a message from an unknown sender.

**B, you owe me a new safe house.**

Not many people called him B, if it was League business, they'd call him Batman. If it was Clark, he wouldn't send a message, he'd be there in person, and Clark didn't have safe houses anyway, not on a reporter's salary. Bruce assumed it was one of his proteges.

Dick wouldn't demand outright. He would dance around the issue first and then tell Bruce what happened, why he blamed Bruce enough to ask for a new safe house. Not that Dick would, he had enough money in his trust fund, as well as in his Nightwing funds, not to need to ask for recompensation on a safe house.

Tim woudln't ask. Tim would give Bruce a written report, including the damages done and how much it cost. It was either that or he'd probably siphon off a few hundred thousand dollars and then give Bruce a report about it later if he was currently in a situation where he couldn't inform Bruce right away.

As for Damian, he shared almost all of Batman's safe houses. Although Bruce wouldn't put it past Damian to have a few stashes of Robin paraphernalia elsewhere. He didn't really monitor Damian's spending, he left that job to Alfred. Besides, the boy was definitely more than responsible enough.

That would leave Jason. Bruce was glad that he and Jason have reached a sort-of truce, but he didn't expect their relationship to be as it was prior to Jason's murder. Bruce was certain he had not been involved in an exploding building that night, so he was stumped as to why he would owe Jason a new safe house. But not for long, he was, after all, the World's Greatest Detective.

He was about to investigate when he heard Damian's motorcycle enter the Cave. Usually, Bruce wouldn't turn or greet anyone, but his eyes needed a break from the screen. Seeing Damian proudly displaying a Red Hood helmet told him a lot.

"Hello Father," Damian greeted, not even ashamed or pretending to be ashamed of his prize.

"Damian," Bruce acknowledged, raising his eyebrow at the helmet. "What are you doing with that?"

"It's a prize," Damian explained. "It's between myself and my predecessors. Todd lost, so I took this."

"Does this have something to do with why Red Hood insists that I owe him a new safe house?"

"It was a competition," Damian reasoned, obviously disappointed about the impending reprimand. "He was informed beforehand that I would be doing this."

"That's not the point," Bruce sighed. His son was as stubborn as he was. He wondered how Alfred put up with the both of them. "You destroyed his safe house?"

"It was collateral damage. It should be expected given how Todd fights."

"I do not condone this, Damian," Bruce said. "But if this is something you need to do --"

"It is."

"Then all I ask is that you keep the damage to a minimum," Bruce continued. "And that you don't hurt each other."

"Of course Father," Damian agreed. He only had to steal something from Grayson anyway, and that one would pull punches.

"Good. Go take a shower."

As Damian left, Bruce sighed. His boys would always compete. It started between Dick and Jason, and now it involved them all. Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose to try and stave off the headache that was coming. He'd let his boys deal with it amongst themselves. There were just somethings that Batman couldn't do. He just sent a message to Jason telling the young man that he would pay for the damages Damian had done, but not for the helmet. If he paid for it, it would de-value Damian's prize. And Bruce understood the value of trophies better than most people. 


	11. One (Wo)Man's Trash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred reassures Bruce about the children.

"Well Alfred," Bruce said as yet another woman left him a message that basically told him that his children were demons. "It seems like Bruce Wayne's children are more effective of a woman repellant than his apparent idiocy."

"Those women believed they would have free reign of you fortune, or so I'm told, Sir," Alfred replied, "Your children, they find, are not worth all your billions."

"And what do you think Alfred?" Bruce asked, knowing full well what the older man's reply would be.

"One man's trash, as they say Master Bruce."

"Of course Alfred," Bruce chuckled.

"The children, if I may say so bluntly Master Bruce," Alfred said. "The children are worth far more than your billions."

Bruce smiled. Alfred was more than just the family butler, he was family, and his input was very much appreciated. There were times that Bruce doubted his decision to take his children in, but Alfred never wavered.

"Why the damage Master Damian alone does around the Manor and the training equipment has to equate to more than a couple of billions given enough time."

And Alfred had a certain charm that was uniquely his own.


	12. Injustice of Injustice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steph thinks the Injustice Mobile game's line-up is sorely in need of a Robin. Who better to talk it over with than her fellow Robins?

“I called this meeting to discuss the injustice of the game Injustice,” Steph said from the head of the table.

Nobody laughed at Steph’s joke, which she found ironic since they were all previous, and current in Damian’s case, Robins. Puns were practically part of the Robin training. Dick, who was seated to her right, did give her a smile, which was better than Jason’s scowl beside him, or Tim’s facepalm to her left. Damian, seated across Jason, was too busy getting free of his restraints to make his usual snide remarks, but not for long.

“Who are you again?” Damian asked, relaxing his face into a puzzled expression. “I could have sworn that you don’t really exist.”

“Why you little Demon Brat,” Steph said, narrowing her eyes but quickly recovering. She cleared her throat. “This is an important issue about representation in another media.”

“This is a waste of time,” Damian groaned, already working on the second set of restraints that held him in place. “You’re only complaining because you’re the only contemporary Batgirl not in the game!”

“And the only reason you’re not complaining is because you know you’re the evil Nightwing!” Steph pointed out. “Anyway, that’s not the point. The point is that there are so many of us not represented in the game!”

“It’s not a Batman game, you know?” Tim said. “And even if it were, the only part of the family that’s in the tie in comic is Robin and Nightwing,” he paused and shrugged. “ And Catwoman.”

“Exactly!” Steph exclaimed, not at all deterred. “ **Robin** is in the comics, so Robin should be in the game!” she concluded smugly.

“>Tt<” Damian scoffed, already free of the five restraints the others put him in and rubbing his wrist where it chafed. “If a Robin were to join the line up, then that Robin would still be me.”

“True,” Steph nodded her head, but the glint in her eye and the tone of her voice told the others that she was far from finished. “But soon they would release other versions of Robin.”

They all took a moment to digest this and soon slowly nodded along. Steph was still smiling when Dick groaned and held the bridge of his nose, a mannerism he learned from Bruce. Jason glanced at him and snorted.

“With luck, it’ll be the scaly panties version,” Jason said with a smirk as he reached for another cookie. “That one is always attributed to Dickface and I doubt they’d release another version of me wearing the same thing. But that’s fine with me, Dick here can have the scaly panties all to himself, he is fond of… flashy clothing.”

“Hey!” Dick protested. “Why are you here, anyway? You don’t usually show up.”

“I owed Blondie a favour,” Jason shrugged. “Besides, this is an Alfred-catered event. Nobody in their right mind would miss this.”

“It took me and Tim the better half of an hour to restrain him just so we can bring him here.”

“I repeat, **right** mind.”

While they bickered, Damian saw it as his opportunity to escape and did so silently. He did grab the plate of whatever Jason was eating and dumped crumbs into Dick’s glass as revenge. He tried to do something to Tim, but Tim was watching him. Damian decided that a strategic retreat was preferable than the possibility of being tied up again.

“You know,” Tim turned to Steph. “They all have a point, even if they were to add a Robin, the chances of a version of you being released are slimmer than the chances of a Batgirl being released.”

“Tim, Tim, Tim,” Steph shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. It still boosts chances of me being represented in the game. Besides, I’m the only mainstream female Robin, I should be a shoe-in for this.”

“If you say so,” Tim said, not really agreeing.

Steph didn’t mind waiting. She really didn’t.  She waited to become Robin, just like she waited to become Batgirl. She waited a while to be part of the timeline again, sure she had Cass with her then, but still, they waited. She could wait for her spot in the Injustice line-up. It was just a matter of time.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my school year just ended. Which is good because it means I might be more active and work on some story ideas I had in mind. Or it might be bad because it means I have nothing to procrastinate from, so yeaaah.
> 
> Anyway, I do like the Mobile Injustice game and the Injustice comic, and I am hoping for a Steph Batgirl or a Robin character to come out, but I doubt they would.


End file.
